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Christian​ ​Cameron,​ ​Maggie​ ​Franke,​ ​Christopher​ ​Plimpton

Dr.​ ​Lovett
Calculus​ ​I
06​ ​November​ ​2017
Where​ ​to​ ​Sit​ ​at​ ​the​ ​Movies
In​ ​James​ ​Stewart’s​ ​Calculus​ ​Early​ ​Transcendentals​ ​Textbook,​ ​there​ ​is​ ​an​ ​applied​ ​project
problem​ ​which​ ​asks​ ​where​ ​the​ ​best​ ​seat​ ​in​ ​a​ ​movie​ ​theater​ ​is​ ​for​ ​the​ ​optimal​ ​viewing​ ​experience.
Imagine​ ​someone​ ​enter​ ​a​ ​movie​ ​theater​ ​and​ ​scan​ ​the​ ​room​ ​looking​ ​for​ ​a​ ​seat.​ ​They​ ​realize​ ​that
the​ ​theater​ ​is​ ​completely​ ​empty​ ​and​ ​they’re​ ​the​ ​only​ ​one​ ​in​ ​the​ ​room,​ ​so​ ​they​ ​can​ ​sit​ ​anywhere​ ​to
enjoy​ ​the​ ​film.
The​ ​initial​ ​impulse​ ​is​ ​to​ ​go​ ​for​ ​the​ ​first​ ​row:​ ​that​ ​has​ ​to​ ​be​ ​the​ ​best​ ​view,​ ​right?​ ​After​ ​all,​ ​it​ ​is​ ​the
row​ ​with​ ​seats​ ​closest​ ​to​ ​the​ ​screen.​ ​They​ ​sit​ ​down​ ​in​ ​the​ ​first​ ​row,​ ​but​ ​quickly​ ​realize​ ​that​ ​the
sound​ ​seems​ ​to​ ​be​ ​coming​ ​from​ ​behind​ ​them,​ ​as​ ​the​ ​speakers​ ​are​ ​in​ ​the​ ​middle​ ​of​ ​the​ ​room;​ ​also,
they​ ​find​ ​themselves​ ​arching​ ​their​ ​head​ ​back​ ​in​ ​order​ ​to​ ​take​ ​in​ ​everything​ ​that’s​ ​happening​ ​on
the​ ​screen.​ ​The​ ​first​ ​row​ ​is​ ​not​ ​nearly​ ​as​ ​enjoyable​ ​as​ ​expected.
Next,​ ​they​ ​try​ ​sitting​ ​in​ ​the​ ​back​ ​row,​ ​but​ ​even​ ​before​ ​sitting​ ​down,​ ​they​ ​realize​ ​this​ ​can’t​ ​be​ ​the
best​ ​spot​ ​in​ ​the​ ​room​ ​to​ ​watch​ ​the​ ​movie​ ​because​ ​the​ ​sound​ ​from​ ​the​ ​film​ ​is​ ​barely​ ​audible​ ​this
far​ ​back.​ ​Also,​ ​they​ ​find​ ​themselves​ ​leaning​ ​forward​ ​and​ ​squinting​ ​as​ ​they​ ​try​ ​to​ ​watch​ ​the
visuals.​ ​There​ ​must​ ​be​ ​a​ ​perfect​ ​seat​ ​in​ ​the​ ​theater​ ​that​ ​allows​ ​them​ ​to​ ​find​ ​the
‘goldilocks-just-right’​ ​position​ ​in​ ​which​ ​to​ ​watch​ ​this​ ​movie!​ ​But​ ​how​ ​are​ ​they​ ​going​ ​to​ ​find​ ​it?
Luckily,​ ​they’re​ ​relieved​ ​to​ ​know​ ​that​ ​there​ ​is​ ​a​ ​way,​ ​using​ ​calculus,​ ​to​ ​find​ ​the​ ​seat​ ​in​ ​the
theater​ ​that​ ​gives​ ​they​ ​the​ ​best​ ​possible​ ​viewing​ ​experience.
Using​ ​an​ ​equation​ ​that​ ​incorporates​ ​these​ ​variables,​ ​it​ ​is​ ​possible​ ​for​ ​them​ ​to​ ​find​ ​the​ ​seat​ ​in​ ​the
theater​ ​with​ ​optimal​ ​viewing​ ​parameters​ ​by​ ​deriving​ ​the​ ​equation​ ​and​ ​finding​ ​the​ ​maximum.

1. The​ ​angle​ ​of​ ​incline​ ​of​ ​the​ ​seats​ ​from​ ​the​ ​ground,​ ​called:​ ​ α
2. The​ ​angle​ ​of​ ​their​ ​eyesight​ ​looking​ ​at​ ​the​ ​screen,​ ​called:​ ​θ
1. The​ ​height​ ​of​ ​the​ ​movie​ ​screen​ ​off​ ​the​ ​floor​ ​(10​ ​ft.)
2. The​ ​height​ ​of​ ​the​ ​screen​ ​itself​ ​(25​ ​ft.)
3. The​ ​height​ ​of​ ​their​ ​body​ ​in​ ​the​ ​seat​ ​(4​ ​ft.)
4. The​ ​distance​ ​of​ ​the​ ​first​ ​row​ ​of​ ​seats​ ​from​ ​the​ ​screen​ ​(9​ ​ft.)
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α The​ ​angle​ ​of​ ​incline​ ​of​ ​the​ ​seats​ ​from​ ​the​ ​ground.

θ The​ ​angle​ ​created​ ​by​ ​the​ ​intersection​ ​of​ ​the​ ​segment

from​ ​the​ ​viewer's​ ​eye​ ​to​ ​the​ ​top​ ​of​ ​the​ ​screen​ ​and​ ​the
segment​ ​from​ ​the​ ​viewer's​ ​eye​ ​to​ ​the​ ​bottom​ ​of​ ​the
screen.

x The​ ​place​ ​the​ ​viewer​ ​decides​ ​to​ ​sit,​ ​ranging​ ​from​ ​the
first​ ​row​ ​to​ ​the​ ​last​ ​row.​ ​Specifically,​ ​ 0 ≤ x ≤ 60 -
proven​ ​in​ ​Lemma​ ​1.1.

a The​ ​segment​ ​from​ ​the​ ​bottom​ ​of​ ​the​ ​screen​ ​to​ ​the
viewer’s​ ​eye​ ​line.

b The​ ​segment​ ​from​ ​the​ ​top​ ​of​ ​the​ ​screen​ ​to​ ​the​ ​viewer’s
eye​ ​line.

St The​ ​top​ ​of​ ​the​ ​movie​ ​screen,​ ​which​ ​is​ ​equal​ ​to​ ​35​ ​feet.

Sb The​ ​bottom​ ​of​ ​the​ ​movie​ ​screen,​ ​equal​ ​to​ ​10​ ​feet.

μ Represents​ ​the​ ​floor​ ​length,​ ​without​ ​the​ ​incline.​ ​Equal

to​ ​ (9 + xcosα) ,​ ​proven​ ​in​ ​Lemma​ ​1.2.

ν Represents​ ​the​ ​length​ ​between​ ​the​ ​parallel​ ​viewing​ ​line

and​ ​ S t​​ ​.​ ​Equal​ ​to​ ​ (31 − xsinα) ,​ ​proven​ ​in​ ​Lemma​ ​1.3.

σ Represents​ ​the​ ​height​ ​between​ ​ S b​​ ​ ​and​ ​the​ ​head​ ​of​ ​the
viewer.​ ​Equal​ ​to​ ​ (xsinα − 6) ​ ​,​ ​proven​ ​in​ ​Lemma​ ​1.4.
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I. Calculations:​ ​Proof​ ​of​ ​ θ

Creating​ ​a​ ​function​ ​in​ ​terms​ ​of​ ​x​ ​is​ ​necessary-​ ​denote​ ​ f (x) ​ ​to​ ​equal​ ​ θ .​ ​The​ ​variable​ ​ x ​ ​can​ ​only
represent​ ​a​ ​number​ ​between​ ​ 0 ≤ x ≤ 60 because​ ​there​ ​are​ ​only​ ​20​ ​rows​ ​that​ ​are​ ​exactly​ ​3​ ​feet
apart.​ ​This​ ​function​ ​is​ ​displayed​ ​below.

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f (x) = θ = arccos( a +b2ab−625 )

Where
a2 = (9 + xcosα)2 + (31 − xsinα)2
b2 = (9 + xcosα)2 + (xsinα − 6)2

The​ ​function​ ​ f (x) ​ ​is​ ​derived​ ​from​ ​the​ ​Law​ ​of​ ​Cosines,​ ​and​ ​more​ ​tricky​ ​methods.​ ​All​ ​of​ ​which
are​ ​proved​ ​below.

Lemma​ ​1.2.​ ​If​ ​the​ ​theater​ ​has​ ​9​ ​feet​ ​of​ ​void​ ​space​ ​between​ ​the​ ​screen​ ​wall​ ​and​ ​the​ ​first​ ​row,​ ​then
the​ ​distance​ ​of​ ​the​ ​entire​ ​floor​ ​without​ ​the​ ​incline​ ​is​ ​ μ = (9 + xcosα) .
Proof.​ ​Suppose​ ​the​ ​theater​ ​has​ ​9​ ​feet​ ​of​ ​void​ ​space​ ​between​ ​the​ ​screen​ ​wall​ ​and​ ​the​ ​first
row.​ ​Let​ ​ d ​ ​represent​ ​the​ ​distance​ ​from​ ​the​ ​first​ ​row​ ​of​ ​seats​ ​to​ ​the​ ​back​ ​wall​ ​of​ ​the​ ​theater.​ ​A
right​ ​triangle​ ​can​ ​be​ ​constructed​ ​from​ ​ d ​ ​,​ ​ x ,​ ​and​ ​the​ ​height​ ​of​ ​the​ ​back​ ​wall​ ​of​ ​the​ ​theater.​ ​The
variable​ ​ α ​ ​represents​ ​the​ ​incline​ ​angle​ ​between​ ​the​ ​hypotenuse​ ​ x ​ ​and​ ​ d .​ ​So​ ​by​ ​the​ ​definition​ ​of
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Cosine,​ ​ d = xcosα ​ ​.​ ​Thus​ ​ μ = 9 + d ​ ​will​ ​represent​ ​the​ ​base​ ​of​ ​the​ ​entire​ ​floor.​ ​Therefore
μ = (9 + xcosα) ​ ​Q.E.D.

Lemma​ ​1.3.​ ​If​ ​the​ ​theater​ ​has​ ​a​ ​25​ ​foot​ ​screen​ ​on​ ​top​ ​of​ ​a​ ​10​ ​foot​ ​wall,​ ​and​ ​if​ ​the​ ​viewer​ ​sits​ ​4
feet​ ​above​ ​the​ ​seat,​ ​then​ ​ ν = (31 − xsinα) .
Proof.​​ ​Suppose​ ​the​ ​theater​ ​has​ ​a​ ​25​ ​foot​ ​screen​ ​on​ ​top​ ​of​ ​a​ ​10​ ​foot​ ​wall,​ ​and​ ​the​ ​person
sits​ ​4​ ​feet​ ​above​ ​the​ ​seat.​ ​Like​ ​Lemma​ ​1.2:​ ​ ​let​ ​ d ​ ​be​ ​the​ ​distance​ ​on​ ​the​ ​ground​ ​from​ ​the​ ​first
row​ ​of​ ​seats​ ​to​ ​the​ ​back​ ​wall​ ​of​ ​the​ ​theater.​ ​A​ ​right​ ​triangle​ ​can​ ​be​ ​constructed​ ​from​ ​ d ​ ​,​ ​ x ,​ ​and
the​ ​height​ ​of​ ​the​ ​back​ ​wall​ ​of​ ​the​ ​theater.​ ​The​ ​variable​ ​ α ​ ​represents​ ​the​ ​incline​ ​angle​ ​between
the​ ​hypotenuse​ ​ x ​ ​and​ ​ d .​ ​So​ ​by​ ​the​ ​definition​ ​of​ ​Sine,​ ​ xsinα + 4 ​ ​is​ ​the​ ​distance​ ​from​ ​the​ ​ground
to​ ​the​ ​person’s​ ​head.​ ​Thus​ ​ 35 − (4 + xsinα) ​ ​is​ ​the​ ​height​ ​of​ ​ ν .​ ​Therefore​ ​the​ ​variable
ν = (31 − xsinα) Q.E.D.

Lemma​ ​1.4.​​ ​If​ ​the​ ​theater​ ​has​ ​a​ ​25​ ​foot​ ​screen​ ​on​ ​top​ ​of​ ​a​ ​10​ ​foot​ ​wall,​ ​and​ ​if​ ​the​ ​viewer​ ​sits​ ​4
feet​ ​above​ ​the​ ​seat,​ ​then​ ​ σ = (xsinα − 6) .
Proof.​ ​Suppose​ ​the​ ​theater​ ​has​ ​a​ ​25​ ​foot​ ​screen​ ​on​ ​top​ ​of​ ​a​ ​10​ ​foot​ ​wall,​ ​and​ ​the​ ​viewer
sits​ ​4​ ​feet​ ​above​ ​the​ ​seat.​ ​Like​ ​Lemma​ ​1.3:​ ​let​ ​ d ​ ​be​ ​the​ ​distance​ ​on​ ​the​ ​ground​ ​from​ ​the​ ​first​ ​row
of​ ​seats​ ​to​ ​the​ ​back​ ​wall​ ​of​ ​the​ ​theater.​ ​A​ ​right​ ​triangle​ ​can​ ​be​ ​constructed​ ​from​ ​ d ​ ​,​ ​ x ,​ ​and​ ​the
height​ ​of​ ​the​ ​back​ ​wall​ ​of​ ​the​ ​theater.​ ​The​ ​variable​ ​ α ​ ​represents​ ​the​ ​incline​ ​angle​ ​between​ ​the
hypotenuse​ ​ x ​ ​and​ ​ d .​ ​So​ ​by​ ​the​ ​definition​ ​of​ ​Sine,​ ​ xsinα + 4 ​ ​is​ ​the​ ​distance​ ​from​ ​the​ ​ground​ ​to
the​ ​person’s​ ​head.​ ​Thus,​ ​subtracting​ ​10,​ ​the​ ​length​ ​of​ ​the​ ​wall​ ​without​ ​the​ ​screen,​ ​results​ ​in​ ​the
length​ ​of​ ​line​ ​segment​ ​ S b L ​ ​which​ ​is​ ​ σ .​ ​Therefore​ ​ σ = (xsinα − 6) Q.E.D.

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Proof​ ​of​​ ​ θ = arccos( a +b2ab−625 )
To​ ​clear​ ​confusion:​ ​ a ​ ​denotes​ ​the​ ​line​ ​segment​ ​ S t E ,​ ​and​ ​ b ​ ​represents​ ​the​ ​line​ ​segment​ ​ S b E .
First,​ ​suppose​ ​ a ​ ​is​ ​the​ ​distance​ ​between​ ​the​ ​viewer’s​ ​head​ ​and​ ​the​ ​top​ ​of​ ​the​ ​theater​ ​screen.​ ​By
the​ ​Pythagorean​ ​Theorem,​ ​Lemma​ ​1.2,​ ​and​ ​Lemma​ ​1.3:​ ​ a = √μ2 + ν 2 .​ ​Next,​ ​suppose​ ​ b ​ ​is​ ​the
is​ ​the​ ​distance​ ​between​ ​the​ ​viewer’s​ ​head​ ​and​ ​the​ ​bottom​ ​of​ ​the​ ​theater​ ​screen.​ ​By​ ​the
Pythagorean​ ​Theorem,​ ​Lemma​ ​1.2,​ ​and​ ​Lemma​ ​1.4:​ ​ b = √u2 + σ 2 .​ ​Therefore​ ​by​ ​using​ ​the​ ​Law
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of​ ​Cosines​ ​ θ = arccos( a +b2ab−625 ) ,​ ​Q.E.D.

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II. Calculations:​ ​Graphing​ ​ θ = arccos( a +b2ab−625 ) : in terms of x
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The​ ​above​ ​graph​ ​represents​ ​ θ as​ ​a​ ​function​ ​in​ ​terms​ ​of​​ ​x​.​ ​By​ ​substituting​ ​the​ ​values​ ​of​ ​“ a ”​ ​and​ ​“
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b ”​ ​into​ ​ θ ,​ ​the​ ​function​ ​ θ = arccos( a +b2ab−625 ) can​ ​be​ ​graphed.​ ​With​ ​this​ ​graphical​ ​representation
of​ ​f(x)​,​ ​we​ ​can​ ​estimate​ ​that​ ​when​ ​ 0 ≤ x ≤ 60 ,​ ​ ​f(x)​ ​reaches​ ​its​ ​maximum​ ​at​ ​ x ≈ 8.5 .​ ​With​ ​this
estimated​ ​value,​ ​we​ ​have​ ​to​ ​round​ ​to​ ​the​ ​closest​ ​multiple​ ​of​ ​3​ ​because​ ​the​ ​rows​ ​of​ ​seats​ ​are​ ​each
3​ ​feet​ ​apart.​ ​Based​ ​upon​ ​this​ ​assumption,​ ​we​ ​can​ ​guess​ ​that​ ​the​ ​row​ ​9​ ​feet​ ​from​ ​the​ ​base​ ​of​ ​the
incline​ ​would​ ​be​ ​the​ ​optimal​ ​row​ ​to​ ​sit​ ​in.

III. Calculations:​ ​Differentiation​ ​and​ ​Optimization

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The​ ​above​ ​graph​ ​represents​ ​the​ ​function​​ ​f(x)​ ​in​ ​black​ ​and​ ​the​ ​derivative​ ​of​ ​f(x)​ ​also​ ​known​ ​as
f​ ​'(x)​ ​in​ ​red.​ ​In​ ​order​ ​to​ ​figure​ ​out​ ​where​ ​f(x)​ ​reaches​ ​a​ ​maximum​ ​point,​ ​we​ ​used​ ​a​ ​computer
programming​ ​website​ ​called​ ​“desmos.com”​ ​to​ ​graph​ ​both​ ​of​ ​these​ ​functions.​ ​According​ ​to​ ​the
First​ ​Derivative​ ​Test,​ ​since​ ​f​ ​'(x)​ ​is​ ​above​ ​the​ ​x-axis​ ​to​ ​the​ ​left​ ​of​ ​8.253​ ​and​ ​below​ ​the​ ​x-axis​ ​to
the​ ​right​ ​of​ ​8.253,​​ ​ f (8.253) has​ ​to​ ​be​ ​a​ ​maximum​ ​point​ ​of​ ​f(x)​ ​since​ ​is​ ​crosses​ ​the​ ​x-axis​ ​there.
This​ ​is​ ​not​ ​the​ ​final​ ​answer​ ​to​ ​this​ ​question.​ ​The​ ​movie​ ​theater​ ​makes​ ​the​ ​rows​ ​of​ ​seats​ ​3​ ​feet
apart,​ ​and​ ​the​ ​answer​ ​must​ ​be​ ​a​ ​multiple​ ​of​ ​3.​ ​The​ ​closest​ ​multiple​ ​of​ ​3​ ​to​ ​8.253​ ​is​ ​9.
Therefore…​ ​the​ ​4th​ ​row​ ​of​ ​this​ ​movie​ ​theater​ ​is​ ​the​ ​best​ ​row​ ​to​ ​sit​ ​in​ ​for​ ​the​ ​optimal​ ​viewing
experience.
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IV. Calculations:​ ​Modifying​ ​ α and​ ​height

Different​ ​Modifications​ ​of​ ​ α
-left​ ​is​ ​a​ ​graph​ ​of​ ​f(x)​ ​when​ ​ α =50,​ ​right​ ​is​ ​a​ ​graph​ ​of​ ​f(x)​ ​when​ ​ α =0-

The​ ​variable​ ​ α ,​ ​is​ ​the​ ​angle​ ​of​ ​incline​ ​the​ ​rows​ ​are​ ​at.​ ​Some​ ​theaters​ ​have​ ​a​ ​greater​ ​incline​ ​then
the​ ​current​ ​ α = 20° .​ ​As​ ​ α ​ ​increases​ ​or​ ​decreases,​ ​the​ ​maximum​ ​of​ ​our​ ​function​ ​will​ ​also
change.​ ​If​ ​there​ ​is​ ​no​ ​incline,​ ​so​ ​ α = 0 ,​ ​then​ ​ f (4.638) would​ ​be​ ​the​ ​new​ ​maximum.​ ​The​ ​best​ ​row
would​ ​change​ ​to​ ​row​ ​3,​ ​because​ ​4.638​ ​is​ ​closer​ ​to​ ​6​ ​than​ ​3.
Changing​ ​the​ ​variable,​ ​ α = 50 ,​ ​would​ ​create​ ​an​ ​incline​ ​of​ ​50​ ​degrees.​ ​By​ ​using​ ​the​ ​First
Derivative​ ​Test​ ​to​ ​find​ ​the​ ​maximum,​ ​the​ ​following​ ​is​ ​found-​ ​ f ′(x) = 0 ​ ​at​ ​ x = 12.416 .​ ​This
result​ ​will​ ​move​ ​the​ ​best​ ​row​ ​to​ ​sit​ ​at​ ​to​ ​5th​ ​row​ ​of​ ​seats.
What​ ​does​ ​this​ ​mean?​ ​Essentially,​ ​it​ ​means​ ​that​ ​as​ ​ α ​ ​increases,​ ​the​ ​viewer​ ​has​ ​to​ ​sit​ ​further​ ​back
in​ ​order​ ​to​ ​get​ ​a​ ​better​ ​view​ ​of​ ​the​ ​screen.​ ​If​ ​ α ​ ​decreases,​ ​the​ ​viewer​ ​has​ ​to​ ​move​ ​forward​ ​in
order​ ​to​ ​get​ ​a​ ​better​ ​view​ ​of​ ​the​ ​screen.​ ​In​ ​other​ ​words,​ ​there​ ​is​ ​an​ ​inverse​ ​correlation​ ​between
the​ ​height​ ​of​ ​the​ ​screen​ ​and​ ​the​ ​distance​ ​up​ ​the​ ​incline​ ​that​ ​the​ ​viewer​ ​has​ ​to​ ​sit.​ ​In​ ​other​ ​words,
as​ ​the​ ​height​ ​is​ ​increased,​ ​the​ ​distance​ ​needs​ ​to​ ​be​ ​increased​ ​and​ ​vice​ ​versa.
Different​ ​Modifications​ ​of​ ​the​ ​screen’s​ ​height​ ​(from​ ​the​ ​floor_
-left​ ​is​ ​a​ ​graph​ ​of​ ​f(x)​ ​when​ ​screen​ ​is​ ​20​ ​ft.​ ​above​ ​the​ ​floor,​ ​right​ ​is​ ​a​ ​graph​ ​of​ ​f(x)​ ​when​ ​the
screen​ ​is​ ​8​ ​feet​ ​above​ ​the​ ​floor-

Then​ ​if​ ​the​ ​height​ ​of​ ​the​ ​screen​ ​is​ ​adjusted,​ ​the​ ​viewer​ ​would​ ​have​ ​to​ ​sit​ ​in​ ​a​ ​different​ ​place.​ ​The
size​ ​of​ ​the​ ​screen​ ​would​ ​still​ ​be​ ​25​ ​feet,​ ​but​ ​maybe​ ​the​ ​screen​ ​is​ ​20​ ​feet​ ​from​ ​the​ ​floor​ ​instead​ ​of
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10​ ​feet.​ ​In​ ​this​ ​situation,​ ​ α =20​ ​again.​ ​As​ ​you​ ​can​ ​see​ ​in​ ​the​ ​two​ ​graphs​ ​pictured​ ​above,​ ​when​ ​the
height​ ​is​ ​increased,​ ​the​ ​viewer​ ​has​ ​to​ ​sit​ ​much​ ​farther​ ​back​ ​around​ ​20​ ​feet​ ​up​ ​the​ ​incline.
However,​ ​when​ ​the​ ​height​ ​of​ ​the​ ​screen​ ​from​ ​the​ ​floor​ ​is​ ​decreased​ ​to​ ​8​ ​feet,​ ​the​ ​viewer​ ​can​ ​sit
much​ ​closer​ ​to​ ​the​ ​screen​ ​at​ ​around​ ​5​ ​feet​ ​up​ ​the​ ​incline.
What​ ​does​ ​this​ ​mean?​ ​There​ ​is​ ​a​ ​direct​ ​correlation​ ​between​ ​the​ ​height​ ​of​ ​the​ ​screen​ ​and​ ​the
distance​ ​up​ ​the​ ​incline​ ​that​ ​the​ ​viewer​ ​has​ ​to​ ​sit.​ ​In​ ​other​ ​words,​ ​as​ ​the​ ​height​ ​is​ ​increased,​ ​the
distance​ ​needs​ ​to​ ​be​ ​increased​ ​and​ ​vice​ ​versa.

V. Conclusion

The​ ​seat​ ​in​ ​the​ ​theater​ ​that​ ​provides​ ​the​ ​viewer​ ​with​ ​the​ ​optimal​ ​movie-watching​ ​experience​ ​is
the​ ​seat​ ​about​ ​8.5​ ​feet​ ​up​ ​the​ ​incline.​ ​However,​ ​since​ ​the​ ​rows​ ​of​ ​seats​ ​are​ ​each​ ​positioned​ ​three
feet​ ​apart​ ​in​ ​the​ ​theater,​ ​the​ ​optimal​ ​seat​ ​is​ ​located​ ​at​ ​the​ ​distance​ ​from​ ​the​ ​screen​ ​as​ ​a​ ​multiple​ ​of
three.​ ​Therefore,​ ​the​ ​optimal​ ​seat​ ​in​ ​the​ ​movie​ ​is​ ​located​ ​9​ ​feet​ ​up​ ​the​ ​incline.
By​ ​doing​ ​the​ ​extra​ ​step​ ​of​ ​this​ ​problem​ ​that​ ​was​ ​not​ ​included​ ​in​ ​the​ ​textbook,​ ​the​ ​equation​ ​can​ ​be
adjusted​ ​for​ ​real​ ​life​ ​calculation​ ​based​ ​on​ ​the​ ​incline​ ​and​ ​height​ ​of​ ​the​ ​screen​ ​in​ ​an​ ​actual​ ​movie
theater.​ ​When​ ​calculus​ ​students​ ​ask​ ​“How​ ​is​ ​calculus​ ​relevant​ ​in​ ​my​ ​everyday​ ​life?”​ ​it​ ​is​ ​easy​ ​to
point​ ​at​ ​this​ ​problem​ ​as​ ​an​ ​example.​ ​Calculus​ ​gives​ ​accurate​ ​answers​ ​to​ ​questions​ ​that​ ​we​ ​did​ ​not
even​ ​know​ ​we​ ​could​ ​use​ ​math​ ​to​ ​solve.​ ​Maybe​ ​the​ ​issue​ ​with​ ​people​ ​not​ ​using​ ​math​ ​in​ ​real​ ​life​ ​is
not​ ​so​ ​much​ ​that​ ​there​ ​is​ ​not​ ​an​ ​opportunity,​ ​but​ ​perhaps​ ​it​ ​centered​ ​around​ ​their​ ​struggle​ ​to
apply​ ​calculus​ ​to​ ​problems​ ​that​ ​they​ ​see.​ ​When​ ​going​ ​to​ ​see​ ​Thor:​ ​Ragnarok​ ​this​ ​weekend,​ ​there
is​ ​now​ ​knowledge​ ​we​ ​can​ ​use​ ​to​ ​prove​ ​where​ ​the​ ​best​ ​seat​ ​is​ ​in​ ​the​ ​theater.